1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a system for performing measurement of an eye fundus vascular blood flow velocity of a patient""s eye and eye fundus image pickup in an ophthalmic hospital or the like.
2. Related Background Art
In an eye fundus blood flowmeter, an example of an ophthalmologic apparatus, when a locus of a blood vessel on a retina is measured, it is preferred that an eye fundus image be stored together with information representing the measurement locus. This is preferable because, in comparison with handwriting of a measurement position, such storing alleviates errors and, stored contents are visually easy to understand. Further it is useful in a case where an identical locus is again measured later. Thus, considering eye movement and flicks of a patient, it is desired that image pickup is performed almost simultaneously with measurement in order to improve reliability of an eye fundus image.
As shown in U.S. Pat. No. 5,163,437, a system in which a chart representing a measurement range is disposed optically in conjugate with the eye fundus and which performs image pickup of an eye fundus image together with the chart almost simultaneously with the start of measurement when a measurement switch is pushed has been known. However, in this system, when the measurement is performed by pushing the measurement switch, the image pickup is necessarily performed. Thus, even when the operator does not desire, the image pickup may be performed. Such unnecessary image pickup causes complication in data reduction and diagnosis, which are made later. In addition, this causes the increase in unnecessary consumption of memory area in a storage device.
A main object of the present invention is to provide a further improvement of an eye fundus blood flowmeter. For example, one concrete object example is to provide an ophthalmologic apparatus in which unnecessary image pickup as mentioned above can be prevented. A further object of the present invention is to provide an ophthalmologic apparatus which is a system capable of performing both measurement and image pickup and in which the image pickup can be canceled by the operator""s will.
To attain the above object, according to one aspect of the present invention, there is provided an ophthalmologic apparatus comprising:
a measuring system for measuring a blood vessel of an eye fundus of an eye to be examined;
an image pickup system for performing image pickup of the eye fundus together with information representing a measurement position in the measuring system;
a switch for allowing an operator to operate; and
a control system for controlling to start measurement by the measuring system by operation of the switch as a trigger, and then controlling to execute the image pickup when the operator operates extra operation for the switch, otherwise not to execute the image pickup.
According to one aspect of the present invention, there is preferably provided an ophthalmologic apparatus, characterized in that the switch has a push button, and the control system controls:
to execute the measurement when the operator pushes the push button; and then
to execute the image pickup when the operator continuously pushes the push button for a period longer than a predetermined period, otherwise to cancel the image pickup.
According to one aspect of the present invention, there is preferably provided an ophthalmologic apparatus, characterized in that the switch has a push button, and the control system controls:
to execute the measurement when the operator pushes the push button once; and then
to execute the image pickup when the operator pushes the push button plural times in succession, otherwise to cancel the image pickup.
According to one aspect of the present invention, there is preferably provided an ophthalmologic apparatus, characterized in that the switch has a push button, and the control system controls:
to execute the measurement when the operator pushes the push button; and then
to execute the image pickup when the operator again pushes the push button within a predetermined period, otherwise to cancel the image pickup.
According to one aspect of the present invention, there is preferably provided an ophthalmologic apparatus, characterized in that the switch has a first switch and a second switch, and the control system executes the measurement by the first switch as a trigger, and executes the image pickup by the second switch as a trigger.
According to one aspect of the present invention, there is preferably provided an ophthalmologic apparatus, characterized in that the switch has a double-action-switch in which the first switch and the second switch are turned on in order by a single push button.
According to one aspect of the present invention, there is preferably provided an ophthalmologic apparatus, characterized in that the measuring system includes a tracking system for performing tracking of the blood vessel, and the information representing the measurement position is an image of, a measurement beam or a tracking beam.
According to one aspect of the present invention, there is preferably provided an ophthalmologic apparatus, characterized in that the switch has a double-action-switch in which a first switch and a second switch are turned on in order by a single push button, and the control system executes the tracking by the tracking system using the first switch as a trigger, and executes the measurement using the second switch as a trigger.
According to one aspect of the present invention, there is preferably provided an ophthalmologic apparatus, further comprising:
a registering system for registering an identifier inherent to each measurement position; and
a storage device for storing an image of the eye fundus, which is taken by the image pickup system, in relation to the identifier.
According to one aspect of the present invention, there is preferably provided an ophthalmologic apparatus, characterized in that the storage device stores the taken image together with a measurement result measured by the measuring system, in relation to the identifier.
According to another aspect of the present invention, there is provided an ophthalmologic apparatus comprising:
a measuring system for measuring a blood vessel of an eye fundus of an eye to be examined;
an image pickup system for performing image pickup of the eye fundus together with information representing a measurement position in the measuring system;
a switch for allowing an operator to operate; and
a control system for controlling to execute measurement by the measuring system and the image pickup by the image pickup system using operation of the switch by the operator as a trigger, the control system controlling to cancel the image pickup in some cases.
According to another aspect of the present invention, there is preferably provided an ophthalmologic apparatus, characterized in that the control system does not perform canceling of the image pickup when a measurement position is for first measurement, otherwise allows the canceling.
According to another aspect of the present invention, there is preferably provided an ophthalmologic apparatus, characterized in that the control system controls to execute the image pickup when the operator operates extra operation for the switch, otherwise to cancel the image pickup.
According to another aspect of the present invention, there is preferably provided an ophthalmologic apparatus, characterized in that the control system does not cancel the image pickup when a measurement position is for first measurement.
According to another aspect of the present invention, there is preferably provided an ophthalmologic apparatus, characterized in that the measuring system includes a tracking system for performing tracking of the blood vessel, and the information representing the measurement position is an image of, a measurement beam or a tracking beam.
According to another aspect of the present invention, there is preferably provided an ophthalmologic apparatus further comprising:
a registering system for registering an identifier inherent to each measurement position; and
a storage device for storing an image of the eye fundus, which is taken by the image pickup system, in relation to the identifier.
According to another aspect of the present invention, there is preferably provided an ophthalmologic apparatus, characterized in that the storage device stores the taken image together with a measurement result measured by the measuring system, in relation to the identifier.
According to another aspect of the present invention, there is provided an ophthalmologic apparatus comprising:
a measuring system for measuring a blood vessel of an eye fundus of an eye to be examined;
an image pickup system for performing image pickup of the eye fundus together with information representing a measurement position in the measuring system;
a registering system for registering an inherent identifier corresponding to a measurement position; and
a storage device for storing an image of the eye fundus, which is taken by the image pickup system, in relation to the identifier.
According to another aspect of the present invention, there is preferably provided an ophthalmologic apparatus, characterized in that the storage device stores the taken image together with a measurement result measured by the measuring system, in relation to the identifier.
According to another aspect of the present invention, there is preferably provided an ophthalmologic apparatus, characterized in that when a plurality of image pickups are performed, the storage device deletes a preceding image and stores a current image.
According to another aspect of the present invention, there is preferably provided an ophthalmologic apparatus, characterized in that while the measurement result by the measuring system is stored in the storage device, the image pickup of the eye fundus is started.
According to another aspect of the present invention, there is preferably provided an ophthalmologic apparatus, characterized in that the image pickup of the eye fundus is started almost simultaneously with the start of storing of the measurement result by the measuring system into the storage device.
According to another aspect of the present invention, there is preferably provided an ophthalmologic apparatus, characterized in that the image pickup of the eye fundus is started almost simultaneously with completion of storing of the measurement result by the measuring system into the storage device.
Further objects of the present invention and embodiments thereof are clear in description of the embodiments below.